Tobi Talks September 2017 / Tobi vous jase septembre 2017

(LE MESSAGE EN FRANCAIS SUIT).

TOBI TALKS

Monthly musings from City Councillor Tobi Nussbaum

East Feast 2017 is this weekend!

Join us for the second annual East Feast – now with more feast! Stroll up and down a fully pedestrianized section of Beechwood Avenue (between Putman and St. Charles) for an evening of music, activities and fun! East Feast brings together local businesses, chefs, breweries, wineries, children's organizations and community groups for a family-friendly event on Saturday, Sept. 9 from 5 to 10 p.m.

Contest: Win a pass to the World’s Largest Scavenger Hunt

Ottawa will make history this Sunday, Sept. 10 with an attempt to break the Guinness World Record for the largest-ever scavenger hunt. Teams of four participants will scatter from City Hall to scour the downtown, solving puzzles and finding items. This event is sold out, but I am giving away a free pass for a team of four. Answer this Rideau-Rockcliffe trivia question by noon on Saturday, Sept. 9 and we will randomly draw a winner.

Trivia question: There are 7 street names in Rideau-Rockcliffe with three letters. Can you identify three of them? Email me! (Hint: They are all first names.)

Call for local artists

Over the past year, the entranceway to my office has been adorned by the beautiful art work of Rideau-Rockcliffe residents. I want to continue this tradition and showcase the work of other local residents. If you are interested in having your artwork displayed at City Hall, please send me an email at tobi.nussbaum@ottawa.ca including an image of your work, the dimensions of the piece and your contact information. My team will contact you to co-ordinate and confirm the display dates.

COMMITTEE, COUNCIL & COMMUNITY ISSUE UPDATES

Rideau High School Community Hub

Efforts are currently underway, led by the Rideau Rockcliffe Community Resource Centre (RRCRC), to establish a community hub at the site of the now former Rideau High School. The plan would be – subject to a viable business plan and school board approval - to lease the school building from the Ottawa Carleton District School Board and renovate it for other groups/organization/companies to utilize, including the RRCRC. The potential benefit of the model would be that should the Board decide to build a new high school in future, the site would be large enough to accommodate both a new school and the potential “hub”. Should you have an interest in learning more or joining the effort, feel free to contact the RRCRC directly via lauren.touchant@crcrr.org

Planning and Transportation

Proposed development at 137 Beechwood Ave.

The application to construct a new building on the site of 137 Beechwood and 143 Putman will play an important role in the future development of Beechwood Avenue. I have been monitoring this application closely; meeting with the City planner responsible for approving the site plan application and listening to the community feedback. You can find more information about this site plan proposal on my website.

Beechwood Avenue complete street

Last year, the City of Ottawa began turning Beechwood Avenue into a complete street, with safer options for all modes of transportation. That transformation is continuing, with construction to reconfigure Beechwood between the Vanier Parkway/Crichton Street and Springfield Road. The work will complete the final piece of the City’s east-west bikeway by constructing raised cycle tracks and bike lanes. The project also reconfiguration of the traffic lanes and signalization at the Beechwood/St.Patrick/Vanier Parkway/Crichton intersection. See the plans here.

Donald Street cycling lanes

In line with the City’s Complete Streets Policy, City staff presented a proposal that would replace the parking on this section of Donald with bike lanes. More than 50 people provided feedback on the plans, most of whom (73%) expressed support for the implementation of cycling lanes in this segment of Donald Street. Thanks to that feedback, City staff was able to address concerns related to on-street parking and bike-lane continuity by proposing changes to the draft plans: some parking will be retained, and the bike lanes will be continued up to the Vanier Parkway. Read more on my website.

Parks and Recreation

Cummings Park

Plans to replace the play structure next to Mount Carmel School on Cummings Ave are afoot. After a rainy Forbes Fest in late June at which ideas for the playground were elicited, my office will be organizing another public meeting in early October to give residents a further opportunity to provide further feedback for the planned construction next year.

New Edinburgh Park

Construction is underway to revitalize New Edinburgh’s playground thanks to a major community partnership project between the Crichton Community Council and the City of Ottawa. The project is a result of a series of community consultations and includes the removal of play equipment that had reached the end of its life, the retention of an existing play structure, the relocation and renewal of the shade shelter and the addition of a new school age play structure, swings, slide, flexible teeter totter, play house and water/sand play area. Click here to see the plans and construction schedule.

Infrastructure

CSST updates

Pedestrian safety improvements to Stanley Avenue are underway. A sidewalk and realigned pedestrian crossing will be installed – see the plans here. There are also new cycling detours in place. The CSST drop-in meetings occur biweekly – the next meeting takes place Wednesday, Sept. 13 at 9 a.m. at the Stanley Park Fieldhouse. For any inquiries, the CSST Field Ambassador, Alistair Hart, can be reached at 613-580-2424 ext. 22778 (2CSST). You can also sign up for daily construction updates at www.ottawa.ca/csst.

Reflection

Pedestrian and cyclist connectivity to the new St-Laurent LRT station will be critical to the success of the light-right system. I’m working with OC Transpo, the Overbrook Community Association and the St. Laurent Centre mall to seek improvements to make it easier and safer for residents to access the LRT. Read more in this Ottawa Citizen article.

CITY WIDGET

How well do you know what happens to rainwater in your neighbourhood? Complete this questionnaire to test your stormwater savvy and you could win a rain barrel and downspout extender.

URBAN INSPIRATION

Heritage Ottawa recently published a thoughtful op-ed from Carleton University architecture professor Peter Coffman on the importance the City’s heritage inventory project. Coffman outlines how this City Council initiative will enable better management of the City’s heritage resources by compiling a list of all properties that could be of interest. Owners of properties on the heritage register don’t face any additional burdens aside from notifying the City 60 days in advance of demolishing a building. I encourage you to read Coffman’s piece here.

COMMUNITY UPDATES, EVENTS & OPPORTUNITIES

Do you have an update, event or opportunity that you’d like to be shared via Tobi Talks? Tell us about it via this form.

Rock the Block – Friday, Sept. 8

Manor Park Community Council hosts the annual Rock the Block event, block party and movie night (screening Moana), Friday, Sept. 8. Featuring fun family activities, a live DJ and great food! The event takes place at 6 p.m. at 100 Thornwood Rd.

New Edinburgh Garage Sale – Saturday, Sept. 16 from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m.

Join community members and participate in the annual New Edinburgh neighbourhood garage sale. You will be able to sell and buy everything from used toys to dishes. This event is also fundraiser for the Crichton Community Council (CCC), donations are appreciated and are used in our community for different events throughout the year. Please consider donating a portion of your profits to the CCC!

Citizens Academy Civic Boot Camp – Apply before Friday, Oct. 6

Are you passionate about Ottawa? Do you want to know more about how the City works? Do you have ideas for positive change but are unsure how to make it happen? Civics Boot Camp is a six week program that teaches the skills and provides the connections you need to create the change you want to see. For full program details, click here. Applications are due by Oct. 6, 2017.

The Ottawa Lions PetValu Walk for Dog Guides started in 2011. In its six years so far, over $85,000 was raised and they are hoping to pass the $100,000 mark this year. The funds raised at the event go to providing life-changing service dogs for individuals free of charge through the Lions Foundation of Canada. Come and join them at the New Edinburgh Fieldhouse (193 Stanley Ave.). Registration for walkers starts at 12 p.m. and the official walk begins at 1 p.m.

For Your InformationPour votre information

CSST Construction Schedule

The CSST (Combined Sewage Storage Tunnel) project has been underway since March 2017, with work occurring in two locations in New Edinburgh: within Stanley Park (Sites 5A and 5B) and at the intersection of Queen Victoria and River Lane (Site 5C). An updated project schedule is posted every few weeks to help residents get a sense of what's in store.

Policy Options magazine published an article I wrote entitled “The Five I’s of Failed Urban Planning”. In it, I summarize the reasons for urban planning failure in five major themes: influence, inertia, illiteracy, inconsistency and interference. The article covers both the key reasons for urban planning failure and my suggested solutions for fixing them, building on my presentation at the 2016 Annual Conference of the Canadian Institution of Planners.